When we talk about development, it has been traced to the age of bygone civilisations. If that were the true metric for India (which is old enough), India’s economy would be triple its current size. Therefore, for India, which is historically such an old country, it should be a time for flowering and blooming. Instead, it got stuck somewhere. Of course, as a matter of fact, India is moving forward by taking small paces, but the form of government—democracy—has fallen short of the demands of our economy. Furthermore, the ascent of the Chinese model presents a provocative alternative to the Western insistence on liberal democracy as the final stage of civilization. By prioritizing administrative efficiency, long-term stability, and collective economic advancement over the often-chaotic fluctuations of partisan politics, the Chinese system has demonstrated an ability to lift hundreds of millions out of poverty with a speed democracy rarely achieves. It suggests that for a civilization to truly thrive, it may require a “conscious” leadership and a disciplined structure that protects the state from the volatility of uneducated or easily manipulated public opinion. In this view, true success is measured by tangible stability and national strength rather than the theoretical—and often exploitable—freedom of the individual vote.
Allow me to state the downside of democracy as well. The term “democracy” is great, and being the world’s largest democracy sounds awesome, doesn’t it? However, democracy is for people who have the potential for critical thinking. It is for the capable because it must represent everyone fairly and equally. Thus, it demands capability and responsibility. The founders of our nation, such as Gandhi and Nehru, were great, and their political aspirations would have been vast and exciting! It is truly great that they chose democracy over socialism and communism, provided the real functioning of democracy ensures that all castes and creeds enjoy freedom.
But nature simply doesn’t always go that way. There are minorities, majorities, the capable and less capable, rich and poor, and high-class and low-class citizens who are economically privileged or unprivileged. In the case of India, where there are vast variations and diversity in language, caste, and class, these variations have led to a loss of democratic principles. The majority or the more capable sections of people often seek to subjugate and dominate the less privileged, and the poor remain poor. Therefore, democracy becomes the equality of equals, not the equality of unequals. That is the problem where we are stuck in a diversified country like India.
Secondly, the political system—such as the policy of “Vote Bank Politics”—acts as a means of appeasement for one section of people against another. Having a government should be synonymous with development. However, it is fairly unfair that you only see development if you elect a particular party. It is clear that the system of party politics uses people as scapegoats. People are separated and aligned with political motives, and the government tends to forget its promises. They simply want to run the government; so, what is the difference between that and a communist country? A communist country like China railed up its economy as one people and one party, but in the case of India, we are buffering! Democracy is not perfect, nor is communism necessarily imperfect; it is simply the government that matters. Economy and development are the major tasks for any government regardless of the political system. But democracy takes time; in the meantime, corruption takes place, and the country runs without engine oil, but with pure water. My point here is that democracy is truly for the capable and efficient who are aware enough to exercise their democratic rights.
Our social structure and thought processes are the biggest factors that generate development. Nations do not build strong economies without hard work, which must be rooted individually and then move to the state, or vice versa. There should be pulling factors to drive a country’s economy ahead, and here, the government plays a crucial role. Here is a question to consider: are we Indians stuck in regionalism, religious views, and other such social hierarchies?
Cheap and rigid mindsets are quite common in India. Caste-based social hierarchies seem to be India’s major social stigma. (Though I am not in favor of removing Reservations; if they were removed, only the capable “creamy layer” who are economically strong would occupy all the jobs, which is already happening). It still exists in many forms, and the downtrodden sections are affected the most because the poor stay poor. It’s the twenty-first century, yet look at how marriages are commonly made. “One cannot simply marry someone outside one’s caste” sounds like an Old Testament biblical perspective. Many marriages turn into a “big thing” because the groom’s family doesn’t just want the bride, but also demands a dowry. Marriage should be between the bride and groom, but it is often family-to-family based on an agreement. Love is based on the agreement, while the agreement is mistaken for love.
Pure love is rare, and love is often materialistic for the well-to-do. Arranged marriages work well as a cultural system for most people. However, Indian culture is unique in many ways, and the world today appreciates it despite its rigidity. In general, one can’t simply marry outside their community, and parents are ready to intervene all the time. Is that a symbol of cultural selfishness? This social stigma keeps rolling and is strictly followed in some communities. Moral values such as broad-mindedness, honesty, and dignity are very rare; classism is as strong as casteism.
Patriotism is being politicized nowadays. Parliament debates are like debates between school kids; I am not denying their democratic value, but they are as noisy as a kindergarten—meaning no one is listening to anyone. We Indians love arguing like small kids over nothing. If you don’t argue, you are likely tagged as someone who isn’t smart. But for a mature person, it’s pointless. If you don’t believe me, just watch our news channels and see how they shamelessly argue; everyone speaks at once without listening (take Arnab’s style of hosting, for example :D). It seems they want to be the winner of the talk rather than focusing on the actual issue. People lack sincerity due to high competition among millions, making the typical Indian’s life difficult. India is a place where people don’t care for people. Revenge is common.
There are always big, challenging questions for India. What will the jobless do? There are quite a lot of them! Are government jobs and foreign companies the only jobs Indians can do? Without education and training, we go nowhere. Where will the poor go? The middle class is doing okay, and their debt is meant to “bring something back” for the country, as Arnold Schwarzenegger once said. “Bring something back”—charity and gifts are common in the Western world. But in India, when people become rich, they often want to leave for many valid reasons. It is the social circumstances that vex people; the mindset is not yet like that of the Western world. Some say Indians are selfish by gene and cunning by nature. Moral value is low. People are not very giving but are good at taunting. India must utilize its population as a resource. The “beef issue” should be solved not by stopping sellers and eaters, but through moral values.
Indian parents strongly push for education, but mostly in IT. There are many IT professionals in India, and that “tag” is like a fashion. It’s good! However, they are mostly from middle-class families, and the poor are lagging far behind. It seems there is a problem with the people, but the government should think about how to utilize them. If there had been no foreign investment for the last 20 years, the number of “proud Indians” would be much lower, and the social division might have widened. It is only jobs that bring us together. Love is conditional, right? It is up to individuals to make the nation stronger, but in reality, the government is the root.
In China, the government has normalized many things which, though they sound harsh, are actually effective. The state owns the people in China, whereas in India, it is the opposite. In many ways, the communist system of economy is effective. Marx was right in many of his theories. There is a lot to compare between capitalist and socialist societies! I’ll leave that to you. But capitalism often downgrades the poor and can be a trap. Regarding mentality: In India, moral ethics are generally not grounded in the mind. Most people replace deeds with words. India’s diverse entity should be embraced instead of highlighting divisions by caste or religion. In terms of religion, the current government’s approach is often criticized despite its international stage presence. Internal unification is vital, and the government should work on it ceaselessly.
If you compare India and China, India is lagging behind. This doesn’t mean we must shift to socialism, but we must think about how to create a strong nation. Never forget that democracy has its own demerits. It functions well in the US because many people are educated and ready to voice their will, but in our country, there are many “fear factors.” Their freedom and our freedom are not the same. Rigidity is one example. It is difficult for a diverse country like India to achieve fast-paced development due to differences in language, belief systems, and race. Bringing people together is hard. Governance and social systems are the keys to development, alongside foreign investment. We need good management, and the challenge of democracy is great.
Finally, foreign investment alone will not bring development. Since the government cannot provide jobs for all citizens, development must be rooted in the soul of every individual through education and production. India has many challenges (war is not one of them right now), so let’s build our country and make it economically stronger. China is developed because they have a functioning government that makes the system work, while India lags behind with its system. Without education and great policy, there can be no development. Bribery and faking will never take us anywhere. A nation needs roots like a tree. A good root will bear good fruit.
